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The Westboro Baptist Church's First Foray Into Celebrity Funeral Protest: Condemning Heath Ledger
Never ones for subtlety, Fred Phelps and his merry band of lunatic minstrels at the Westboro Baptist Church are making sure their opinion of Heath Ledger -- or lack thereof -- won't be misconstrued by even the densest among us. It was pretty much a given that a guy who rose to critical acclaim playing a gay cowboy would draw the hyperbolic wrath of America's most vocal homophobes, but it's nevertheless shocking the speed with which Phelps and company have gingerly begun proclaiming Ledger's demise and, of course, descension into hell.
This morning, Phelps -- "Phelpsy" as I like to call him in those intimate moments -- rushed to circulation a bombastic press release announcing the intention of he and his traveling roadshow to protest at Ledger's funeral. Their message, as far as I can tell, is that God took time out of his busy schedule striking down average folks by the thousands in Kenya to teach America a lesson about the evils of homosexuality by offing the Joker. According to the press release: "God hates the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as Brokeback Mountain, and he hates all persons having anything whatsoever to do with it."
This is why God was passed over to fill in on Ebert & Roeper while Roger Ebert recovering from surgery -- even Rex Reed isn't as brutal when he doesn't like a movie.
For some time I've held fast to a rather unpopular, if not entirely outlandish opinion: I think Phelps and company are making this crap up. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that they've caused a lot of very real hurt to the families of fallen U.S. soldiers and the victims of assorted other tragedies, I'd probably be one of their biggest fans.
There's simply no way that this level of crazy can be for real.
The antics of the WBC have always been so completely over-the-top, so laugh-out-loud absurd, such a brilliantly ironic indictment of everything its more sophisticated brethren in the Fundamentalist Christian movement stands for that they can't possibly be anything other than Andy Kaufmanesque performance art at its most sublime.
Watching America's garden variety intolerant jackasses stumble and stammer as if Darryl Revok somehow got inside their brains, trying to find a way to simultaneously shun Phelps's psychopathic hostility without dismissing the belief system behind it -- trying to kill only the messenger, as it were -- is just priceless. (If you're looking for a perfect example of this impossible tap-dance, check out the Phelps write-up in Conservapedia.com, in which he's cast as a tool of the Democrats -- as if the Westboro Baptists are so far to the Right that they've gone all the way around and come back on the Left.)
The reality of course -- and I'd love to believe that proving this is secretly their intention -- is that Crazy Fred and his acolytes are doing nothing more than what the Bible instructs. In an admittedly very sick sense, they're people of faith such as even the most ardent Sunday morning church goers will never be. In the same way that a suicide bomber is really little more than an absolute dogmatist -- a believer who has truly done as his sacred text demands by abandoning all rationality to his god -- Fred Phelps has just taken what the Bible itself says and ran with it.
If you've got an issue with him and his "church," then maybe it's time to evoke the sage words of that great religious philosopher, Ice-T: Don't hate the playa, hate the game.
Because Phelps damn sure isn't the only Fundamentalist Christian who called Heath Ledger a sodomite in the wake of "Brokeback Mountain," he's just the only one willing to take his righteous indignation to the next level.
For the record though, practical joke or not, the Westboro Baptists' first foray into the world of celebrity funeral protest should be interesting. They're going to be far away from their home turf and likely walking right into the San Fernando Valley of Death.
God help them.
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They also said, they would picket at the OScars too. The guy on the radio, who was talking to the daughter, said she shouldn't do that if she knows whats good for her.
I have yet to hear a Republican come out and condemn these morons. Why is that? I can't believe gay or straight conservatives are such spineless sheep that they would be afraid to take this crowd on. Theie silence is nauseating and disgraceful.
Complaining about Phelps is like griping about the weather. Why don't all of you do something productive and voice your displeasure with Fox News and John Gibson. His incredibly insensitive joke cum gay bash is the reason why people like Phelps still have traction. When the corporate media condones that kind of hate speech and we look the other way, what difference does it make when crazy people like Phelps do it?
Fred Phelps has a whole passle of grandchildren - I'm just curious: how many of them did HE sire himself ???
If I were close enough to Ledger to travel to his funeral and I spotted Phelps and his gang of evil hypocrites there protesting, I'd personally walk over and kick Phelps in the nuts.
We liberals have let bullying goons like him walk all over us for too long.
Phelps needs something legitimate to bitch about. I'd say having a tall, muscular lesbian like me take him down would qualify.
But then, he'd probably love it.
Just come out of the closet, Phelps, and leave us in peace. You too, Huckabee.
It's a good blog, a nice blog-but I'm waiting for Mrs Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian [lady,female type] & Landover Baptist Church give their opinion on the late Mr Ledger. They will say something. Perhaps they will give some bio-fuel to these other Baptist for motor fuel or to burn crosses.
Picketing funerals of gay people may be the only game in town IF W's wars are ended & no Democrap takes over the franchise on 1/20/09.
when is God going to call Phelps and his followers home?
After the recent lawsuit against them, are they sure they can afford the airfare?
I shake my head in sadness and disgust. The Phelps circus cannot be stopped. For better or worse, Phelps is part of the family, your second cousin's out-of-control child, undermining your best efforts to celebrate and mourn.
Don't bother to analyze or insult. Someday they will run out of steam and go away. A year, a decade, whatever. The interim is unpleasant, but we can endure it.
**To the members of the WBC who support this - and to all others who support protests such as this - I say with great clarity and confidence: Fuck you.
You are all the personifications of Shame.
If there is a God -- and on good days I still think there might be -- then you can bet Phelps will be in for a nasty shock when the two of them finally meet. I think I'd like to be there for that ...
I'll say this about the Bible. If you seek divine endorsement for nearly any and all behaviors (murder, war, hate, lust, love, etc...) it's the book for you.
It's the ultimate reference of convenience.
Look...when the President...right on down to the "grass roots" Republicans scream for a Constitutional Amendment that states "marriage" is between a man and a woman...they support and encourage these "Taliban Christans" to protest and defame at the graves of America's Finest!
Instead of preaching love and peace...the Preacher from the pulpit spouts his/her anti-gay, hate mongering sermons and "reaches" the ears and minds of cretens who beat up or kill innocent, law abiding citizens who happen to be gay; who is the first one to say..."we didn't mean for anyone to hurt anybody!" The Preacher...that's who.
Religion has been used like a cloak by shameless, power hungry men and women in this Country. And this misuse of Religion has been the cause of of slavery, poverty, subjugation of Races, Women and Workers. They use it to rally their flocks for support from everything from an illegal, unjust war to vilifying free speech, free thought and organizing book banning/burning.
I believe in a God...and I believe that these people who commit atrocities in God's name will have a lot of explaining to do in the after life.
I think that when Phelps dies that there should be a massive all out celebration. Because karma should kick his ass ten fold.
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